A long-term study of the donor-site ankle after vascularized fibula grafts in children
✍ Scribed by Shohei Omokawa; Susumu Tamai; Yoshinori Takakura; Hiroshi Yajima; Kouichi Kawanishi
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1996
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 423 KB
- Volume
- 17
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0738-1085
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✦ Synopsis
We reviewed the long-term course of the donor-site ankle after vascularized fibula grafts in 13 children. The preventive and therapeutic effects of the tibio-fibular metaphyseal synostosis (T-F synostosis) against valgus ankle deformity, which is one of the postoperative donor-site problems, were evaluated based on three radiologic and clinical parameters.
Thirteen patients were divided into two groups: patients with or without simultaneous T-F synostosis when the fibula was taken. Three patients underwent T-F synostosis secondarily after the development of the valgus deformity. Follow-up periods averaged 12.4 years. In the patients with primary T-F synostosis, valgus deformity was only observed in one case.
No functional disorder of the ankle joints was observed after T-F synostosis. In the patients without T-F synostosis, all the patients younger than 8 years old showed valgus deformity, in which the tilting angle averaged 6.3 degrees. In the three patients who underwent T-F synostosis secondarily, the tilting angle normalized in cases in which the fixation was performed when the lateral wedging was in a mild stage. There was a statistically significant difference in valgus tilt angle between the two groups (with or without T-F synostosis).